Utah State began the Bronco Mendenhall era at home against UTEP and came away with an important 28-16 win. The Aggies held the Miners to 284 total yards and allowed just 181 passing yards. Even more important, the Miners had only 103 rushing yards. Utah State held UTEP quarterback Malachi Nelson to 22 completions on 34 attempts and a touchdown and an interception. Utah State held UTEP running back Kam Thomas to 36 yards rushing, but did allow receiver Kenny Odom to have nine receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.
In Texas A&M’s win over UTSA (42-24), quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns and also led the team in rushing with 39 yards. Receiver Mario Craver had eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Utah State was able to have a strong season opener in which Noah Avinger led the team with 11 tackles and John Miller had a sack for the Aggies. Micah Davis had 88 rushing yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown. Throughout the game, Utah State had 18 first downs, 11 penalties for 73 yards, and was 2 for 12 on 3rd Down attempts. These numbers are going to need to improve if Utah State is going to compete with the likes of Air Force and Vanderbilt in September.
Game Preview
Date/Time: Saturday, September 6th at 12:45 PM EST
Location: College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network
Line (Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook: Texas A&M (-31.5)
Series History: Texas A&M and Utah State have met once before on September 19th, 2025, in College Station, Texas. The final score for that 2009 game was 38-30 in favor of Texas A&M.
Three Keys to the Game
1. Make explosive plays
Utah State was able to score on a 58-yard run from Miles Davis and on a 52-yard pass to Broc Lane. Utah State has shown the ability to create big plays, and one of the key ways to create space for more explosive plays is to be able to run the football. To keep this game closer than people expect, Utah State will need Miles Davis to rush more than 88 yards if they want to avoid 3rd down and long. As previously mentioned, Utah State was 2-12 on 3rd Down, which does not help when attempting to create explosive plays. Utah State was able to pass for 233 yards but rushed for 129. The Aggies must do a better job of running the ball this week in order to stay in the game.
2. Limit the penalties
Utah State had 11 penalties for 73 yards throughout the game against the Miners. This not only affects the ability to create big plays for the offense, but it also affects the discipline of the team. Penalties and third-down conversions have been tough on Utah State over the past few seasons, and the Aggies are going to need to focus on building on and improving on penalties and third-down conversions. If Utah State has a lot of pre-snap penalties, such as false starts, this game is going to get out of hand quickly. The best way to limit the penalties and begin converting 3rd downs is to get into a rhythm.
3. Limit the big plays on defense
In the game against UTEP, Utah State held the Miners to 284 total yards, 181 passing yards, and 103 rushing yards. Overall, Utah State was able to limit the big plays for UTEP. The longest touchdown for the Miners came on a 34-yard pass. To limit big plays on the defense, Utah State needs to do exactly what it did against UTEP in stopping the run. Since the Aggies were able to stop the run, the Miners were just 4-15 on 3rd downs. If Utah State begins to struggle with tackling, this is going to turn into a very long early afternoon for Utah State. The Aggies held UTEP to 2.9 yards per carry on 35 carries. This is what Utah State needs to have any form of success against Texas A&M. This is also tied in with committing fewer turnovers and staying disciplined in communication, especially against a Top-20 opponent.
Prediction
UTEP was a challenge for the Aggies because they needed to begin the Bronco Mendenhall era on the right foot. That is exactly what Utah State did. However, this next opponent is not UTEP. Utah State is going to be seeing elite skill position talent. The Aggies will be seeing a quarterback who is experienced: Marcel Reed is not taking the field as the starter for one of the first times in his career. Mario Craver, on just eight catches, was a huge difference maker in the game for Texas A&M with 122 yards and two touchdowns. Utah State is going to be able to get good wins this season if it can continue to build on consistency, but the winning streaks are not going to start building up this week against Texas A&M. The Aggies from College Station roll.
Score Prediction: Texas A&M: 45; USU: 10
